The New York Giants went into Lambeau Field on Sunday with a lot of confidence and swagger. After a 5-year hiatus from the playoffs, they made it to the playoffs on the strength of their defense. However, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers took control of the game in the second half and destroyed the Giants, 38-13. For the most part, the defense played well, but as a team, the Giants could not cast off.
OFFENSE
The offense struggled to score points and was painful to watch all game, not surprising to any Giants fan. This offense has struggled all year and Sunday was no exception. The Giants run game could not gain momentum and sustain something on the ground. They were ranked 29th on the year. No matter who was in the backfield, most of their run plays went for minimal gain. By not having a run game, they could not control time possession and Rodgers could get back on the field and do damage.
Eli Manning did not have a bad game, but his wide receivers did not help him out. There were a “boat” load of drops, including three by Odell Beckham Jr. In the first quarter, he dropped a third down pass that would’ve been enough for a first down and put them in field goal range. On the next possession, Beckham let a touchdown slip right through his hands. A couple of plays later, rookie wideout Sterling Sheppard could not hang on to a touchdown. If either one of the balls are caught, the game would’ve changed in the Giants’ favor.
Same as all season, the offense was sluggish. The offensive line wasn’t great in pass protection or the run game. As a matter of fact, the Giants failed to score at least 20 points in their last six games. Last offseason, the Giants revamped their defense and it carried them this year. This offseason, it’s time to address the offense.
Grade: C
DEFENSE
The defense was outstanding in the first half. They were keeping Rodgers in check. Rodgers was struggling to find open wide receivers the whole first half.
Even though all the talk is about the hail mary pass at the end of the first half, the game did not turn until the end of the third quarter. The Packers decided to go for it on fourth down on their own end of the field. The Giants defense stuffed their attempt. On the second play after the turnover on downs, Manning connected with Tavarres King for a 41-yard touchdown and pulled within a point, 14-13.
On the ensuing possession, Rodgers took the Packers down in four plays. The game had changed for good. The defense wasn’t the same anymore. It carried the Giants to the playoffs and the whole game. However, it finally caught up with them. From there on, Rodgers picked apart the secondary. The Packers kept pouring it on.
The defense carried this team for the most of the game. But this defense could not hold up and melted in the fourth quarter.
Grade: B
SPECIAL TEAMS
The special teams was easily the worse unit on Sunday. Punter Brad Wing did not have a good day. His punts were line drives and short and gave the Packers good field position most of the day. The last thing you want is to give Rodgers is a short field.
On kickoffs, the special team allowed a couple of big returns to Jeff Janis. On the other hand, Giants own return game was nothing special. Dwyane Harris, known for his prowess on special team, could not manage a big return to give the team a jolt of energy.
The biggest mistake of the game was when Bobby Rainey caught a kickoff at the 4-yard line and his momentum took him out of bounds. That kickoff had a chance of going out of bounds, which would have started the Giants on the 40-yard line. Instead, they were backed up in their own endzone. The Giants would not score again.
Grade: D
The Giants overall performance proves that playing in the postseason is a totally different animal. You can play weaker teams in the regular season and your deficiencies are easily hidden. But in the postseason, the competition is better week in and week out.
The level of concentration must be high. Going into this game, the Giants had too many distractions. This included the boat party the whole wide receiver corp went too. Even if the party didn’t affect their play, the optics of partying before a playoff game is not good. They must address this and all their other deficiencies in the offseason. If they do not, they can say bon voyage to another season.
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